PrunePicker Memories of my Father, Charles Abner Monson. Part 1.

My Father Charles Abner Monson was born in Covington, Kentucky in 1881. Dad's Father and four grandfathers are buried in north central Kentucky.

One of his grandfathers is buried in Morristown, New Jersey and three are buried in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest of these three is Captain Thomas Munson. (Dad's Seventh great grandfather) Captain Thomas was born in Rattlesden, Suffolk, England in 1612. Thomas moved to America in the 1630s with the Great English Migration. (Pilgrims) He was involved in the Pequot Indian War of 1637. He spent his life in the militia, hence the title of Captain. As a civilian he was a carpenter, land trader, and civic leader.

I do not believe that any of my siblings or my Father knew any of the history listed above. I always thought that my ancestors came from Sweden in a turnip boat a hundred or so years ago. Actually they came from England almost four hundred years ago. When my wife, Jackie passed away ten years ago I started studying genealogy. I discovered the above history. Wish I had known about it sooner. In our 22 years of RVing Jackie and I drove by many of the places involved.  In the last ten years I have visited many of the places involved in the above Munson history. I have also visited some of the places involved in Jackie's genealogy.

Dad's Dad was a younger child in the large family of Abner L Monson (my great grandfather). For some reason he did not raise my Dad. His name is James Mart Monson. (1858 - 1957)

My Grandfather. (I only met one grand parent. My maternal Grandmother)

Dad was adopted by an older brother, Charles Morton Monson at an early age. James Morton had moved to Rice County, Kansas in 1878. Rice is some 800 miles west of Covington. James Mart (My Dad's natural Dad) later married a second time. One of the children from his second wife (who he did raise) was my Uncle Frank. Uncle Frank and many children (cousins) moved with my Dad to California and lived in Pomona when I was a boy. I have many memories of my cousins. I have not seen them for seventy years.